365 Reflections

Deuteronomy 6:20–24 (ESV)   “When your son asks you in time to come, ‘What is the meaning of the testimonies and the statutes and the rules that the Lord our God has commanded you?’ 21 then you shall say to your son, ‘We were Pharaoh’s slaves in Egypt. And the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand. 22 And the Lord showed signs and wonders, great and grievous, against Egypt and against Pharaoh and all his household, before our eyes. 23 And he brought us out from there, that he might bring us in and give us the land that he swore to give to our fathers. 24 And the Lord commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as we are this day. Having given the people of God the Ten Commandments again, Moses unpacks the absolute necessity to make them an everyday part of their lives. They are to bind them on their hands and between their eyes. They are to teach them to their children. They are to put t

Deuteronomy 5:22–24 (ESV) “These words the LORD spoke to all your assembly at the mountain out of the midst of the fire , the cloud, and the thick darkness, with a loud voice; and he added no more. And he wrote them on two tablets of stone and gave them to me. 23 And as soon as you heard the voice out of the midst of the darkness, while the mountain was burning with fire , you came near to me, all the heads of your tribes, and your elders. 24 And you said, ‘Behold, the LORD our God has shown us his glory and greatness, and we have heard his voice out of the midst of the fire . This day we have seen God speak with man, and man still live. The physical manifestation of God's voice being spoken to ancient Israel is repeatedly fire . When God gives them the law, He does through fire here and in Exodus 20. When Gideon sees the Lord, there's fire that consumes the offering. When Elijah challenges the prophets of Baal, his challenge is this: "and the God who answers by fire

Deuteronomy 4:25–31 (ESV)   “When you father children and children’s children, and have grown old in the land, if you act corruptly by making a carved image in the form of anything, and by doing what is evil in the sight of the Lord your God, so as to provoke him to anger, 26 I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that you will soon utterly perish from the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess. You will not live long in it, but will be utterly destroyed. 27 And the Lord will scatter you among the peoples, and you will be left few in number among the nations where the Lord will drive you. 28 And there you will serve gods of wood and stone, the work of human hands, that neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell. 29 But from there you will seek the Lord your God and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul. 30 When you are in tribulation, and all these things come upon you in the latter days, you will re

Deuteronomy 4:5–8 (ESV) S ee, I have taught you statutes and rules, as the Lord my God commanded me, that you should do them in the land that you are entering to take possession of it. 6 Keep them and do them, for that will be your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples, who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’ 7 For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as the Lord our God is to us, whenever we call upon him? 8 And what great nation is there, that has statutes and rules so righteous as all this law that I set before you today? The Word of God created the Heavens and the Earth. The Word of the Lord brought Israel out of Egypt regardless of what Pharaoh said, decreed or did. The Word of the Lord sustained Israel through 40 years of wandering in the wilderness.  The Word of the Lord is good.  Deuteronomy calls us to hear God's word over 100 times. That says a lo

Deuteronomy 3:26–28 (ESV) But the Lord was angry with me because of you and would not listen to me. And the Lord said to me, ‘Enough from you; do not speak to me of this matter again . 27 Go up to the top of Pisgah and lift up your eyes westward and northward and southward and eastward, and look at it with your eyes, for you shall not go over this Jordan. 28 But charge Joshua , and encourage and strengthen him, for he shall go over at the head of this people, and he shall put them in possession of the land that you shall see.’ Moses has not shown concern for himself since his call into ministry at the burning bush. For all his hesitancy and self-esteem issues there, his leadership of 40 years over God's people showed a man so utterly devoted to his task he more than once offered to die in place of the people who sinned.  But Moses was also a man. Here in Deuteronomy 3, Moses recounts the prayer he prayed to God seeking to annul God's announcement at the Waters of Me

Deuteronomy 2:5–7 (ESV)   Do not contend with them, for I will not give you any of their land, no, not so much as for the sole of the foot to tread on, because I have given Mount Seir to Esau as a possession. 6 You shall purchase food from them with money, that you may eat, and you shall also buy water from them with money, that you may drink. 7 For the Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He knows your going through this great wilderness. These forty years the Lord your God has been with you. You have lacked nothing.” ’ Deuteronomy 2 gives us more clarity on the Edom episode of Numbers 20. The Israelites must pass through the Edomite territory in order to come to their Promised Land. In Numbers 20 they are met with anger and force regardless of the delegation Moses sends for terms of peace as they pass through their land with no intent to seize it. Edom will not let the old grudge between the ancient brothers die and so Israel must walk around them. B

Deuteronomy 2 has a familiar statement from Deuteronomy 1: Deuteronomy 2:3 (ESV) ‘You have been traveling around this mountain country long enough. Turn northward God speaks to the people and says basically that they have been standing in the same place long enough. He had said this to the previous generation who had received the Law from Moses 40 years earlier: Deuteronomy 1:6 (ESV) “The LORD our God said to us in Horeb, ‘You have stayed long enough at this mountain. Both generations came to a mountain where God met with them in special ways. Both Mountains became holy sites of significance and development. However, both mountains were stops along the journey to the ultimate destination - the Promised Land.  We often want to dwell around the significant moments in our lives. God wants us to have them. They are great for us. We are touched, changed and moved in incredible ways when we come to the mountain of God. But we have to remember that we cannot stay there. We ha

Deuteronomy as commentary from Moses on what's happened so far in the history of Israel illuminates a very interesting point for their journey. It's Numbers 13-14. The time when the Lord told Moses to select 12 leaders and send them in to spy out the land. Here's a bit of insider information we get from Moses on what really transpired in that moment... Deuteronomy 1:21–24 (ESV) S ee, the Lord your God has set the land before you. Go up, take possession, as the Lord , the God of your fathers, has told you. Do not fear or be dismayed.’ 22 Then all of you came near me and said, ‘Let us send men before us, that they may explore the land for us and bring us word again of the way by which we must go up and the cities into which we shall come.’ 23 The thing seemed good to me, and I took twelve men from you, one man from each tribe. 24 And they turned and went up into the hill country, and came to the Valley of Eshcol and spied it out. It is an important piece of informa